


Progress

by Eggling



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: First Kisses, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 08:48:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10567803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eggling/pseuds/Eggling
Summary: Polly plays matchmaker for the Doctor and Jamie when Jamie’s hesitant about making a move; Jamie returns the favour.





	

**Author's Note:**

> for [penny-anna](penny-anna.tumblr.com).

Had Jamie been paying attention, he would have seen Ben and Polly talking quietly, gesturing between him and the Doctor animatedly, and finally Polly shoving Ben forward to slip between him and the Doctor. As it was, he simply frowned when the Doctor’s attention turned to Ben instead. He had been enjoying having the Doctor’s full attention in relative privacy, but he quickly pushed the flash of frustration to the back of his mind, falling into step with Polly instead. She took his arm and slowed them down a little so they were out of earshot of the Doctor and Ben.

“How’s it going?” she asked him intently. Jamie simply groaned.

“I dinnae ken what ye mean,” he lied.

“Yes, you do,” Polly said smugly. “I know you do. But I’ll put it in plain English for you, if you like.” Jamie stuck his tongue out at her – it was childish, he knew, but Polly had a way of making him feel like he _was_ a child, and she was his worried elder sister. “Have you made any progress with the Doctor?”

“Quiet!” Jamie begged her, glancing nervously over at the Doctor and Ben. “What progress is there to make?”

“He won’t hear,” Polly said. “You’re getting nowhere, I suppose.”

“Och, I – _Polly_ , it’s not proper, I’ve told ye.”

“Why not?” Jamie tried to slip away from her, to rejoin the Doctor and Ben, but Polly had already grabbed his hand, holding him in place. “Look, Jamie, I’ve told you enough times that there’s nothing wrong with two men being in a relationship. It happens all the time in the future. You’ve seen it yourself.”

“More like had it pointed out every time ye get the opportunity,” Jamie muttered. “That’s… it’s different.” Whatever Polly thought, he was not entirely like those men – his upbringing had seen to that. More importantly, the Doctor was not entirely like him. He could hardly be sure that his feelings were returned.

“It’s not different!” Polly exclaimed. “Or do you mean it’s different because it’s not personal to you? Just in passing?” Jamie could not meet her eyes, and she seized the opportunity. “I’ve had girlfriends.”

“Ye – ye mean -” Jamie turned to see her smiling at him. “Oh,” he said, his voice suddenly very small.

“Jamie.” Polly put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “There’s nothing shameful about it. It’s sweet, really. And he likes you too, I know he does.”

“Does he?” Jamie snapped to attention at that, scowling as Polly dissolved into giggles.

“See?” she said. “You do like him!”

Jamie narrowed his eyes. Polly was trying to convince him that he should have acted on his feelings sooner. Well, two could play at that game. “And how’s Ben?”

The smile quickly vanished from Polly’s face. “Still oblivious.”

“Tell him.”

“You’re a fine one to talk!” Polly sighed, looking wistfully at Ben. “A right pair we make. Chasing after them and not having the courage to do anything about it, I suppose.”

Jamie had put up with all of Polly’s attempts at meddling before this, but the insinuation that he was not _brave_ enough to confess his feelings for the Doctor was too much to bear. “I’ll kiss mine if you kiss yours.”

Polly laughed at that, and Ben turned to look at her, just for a moment. Jamie exchanged a frustrated look with the Doctor as Ben cleared his throat and looked away again, Polly blushing. Their feelings for each other seemed so obvious. But if that was true, could Polly be right abut him and the Doctor?

“I mean it,” he added. “I promise?”

“What? _Now_?” Polly turned back to him in alarm.

“Why not?” Jamie said with a sudden determination. “When else are we going tae do it?” It was only then that he realised precisely what he was proposing. “What do I do?”

“Hold his hand,” Polly said. “Hold his hand and then kiss him.”

“Aye, but _how_?”

“You’ll figure it out.”

“Och, Polly -”

“Trust me, Jamie, he likes you,” Polly interrupted him. “He’s head over heels, I don’t think he’d care if you were the worst kisser in the world. I’m more worried that Ben’s going to reject me.”

“He won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“I – I just know, alright.”

“Like I know the Doctor won’t reject you. What was it you’re so fond of saying? ‘No McCrimmon ever backed away from a challenge’?” She pushed him towards the Doctor. “Go on, then!”

This time, Jamie did not miss Ben and Polly smirking at each other – nor Polly kissing Ben’s cheek. He smiled at that, and hurried over to the Doctor, taking his hand as if by reflex.

“Oh! Hello, Jamie.” The Doctor looked down at their linked hands. To Jamie’s surprise, he did not let go, but instead squeezed Jamie’s hand happily.

They walked together like that for a while, still holding hands, Jamie letting Two babble on about the flora and fauna on the planet, or the crisis they had just solved, or whatever took his fancy. All his prior determination was draining away, fast. If Polly was mistaken, he could lose all of this. Perhaps the Doctor would even leave him behind somewhere, lost and with no chance of even returning home. He tried to reassure himself, thinking of the Doctor’s hand in his. He had not been rejected so far.

The Doctor was in the middle of a spirited explanation of either the TARDIS’ inner workings or his plans for the afternoon – Jamie could not always tell which was which – when he turned his head, the sun catching on his features just so. It was not Polly’s encouragement but pure instinct which made Jamie finally lean over and kiss him.

“Mm.” The Doctor pulled back, his expression unreadable. “Oh. Jamie – I never thought -”

Jamie was backing away from where the Doctor, his eyes wide, the little sparks of worry and shame running up his spine making him feel equally as if someone had doused him in cold water and set him on fire.

“I’m sorry,” he stammered, the last of his confidence vanishing. “I didnae mean to – I just – if ye don’t -”

The Doctor stepped forwards, taking Jamie’s hands and clutching them to his chest. “If I’d known you felt like this, then I’d -”

“Have thrown me out of the TARDIS in the next convenient place we landed?” Jamie wanted to run away, to hide from the Doctor, from Ben and Polly, from everyone, but the Doctor was still holding his hands.

“Of course not!” the Doctor exclaimed. “I’d have kissed you a lot earlier.” He hesitated a moment, then leant forwards, pausing a moment to make his intentions clear, then kissing Jamie, stealing away any words that might have been forming on his tongue.

Jamie opened his eyes to see the Doctor smiling fondly at him, and he could not help but smile back. He was gathering his thoughts to form some sort of coherent reply when he saw Ben and Polly watching them, Polly giggling and Ben simply staring at them in shock. They were holding hands, Jamie noticed with satisfaction. Seeing him looking, Polly leant in to kiss Jamie again, and the Doctor looked between them, realisation dawning on his face.

“Oh, I see what’s happened here,” he said quietly. “You two had a little deal going on, did you?”

“Aye, we did.” Jamie kissed him on the cheek a little nervously. “But that doesnae mean I don’t want to kiss you.”

“I’m glad.” The Doctor ran his hands over Jamie’s shoulders, smoothing out creases in his shirt. He frowned as he saw the rising panic in Jamie’s eyes. “Jamie? Are you alright?” He glanced over to Ben and Polly. “I think it would be best if you two, ah, went on ahead of us.” Jamie watched them leave, the final shreds of his calm vanishing with them.

“I’m fine, I’m just -” He fought back the sudden urge to laugh hysterically, feeling breathless, like he’d been running. Like kissing the Doctor had stolen his breath as well as his words. “I said I wanted tae kiss you.”

“Did you not mean it?” The Doctor was watching him almost sadly, running one finger across his lips.

“Yes!” Jamie exclaimed, a little too loudly. “Yes,” he repeated softly. “Of course I do. But I never thought I’d say it.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad you did it,” the Doctor said, leaning in as if to kiss him again. He paused, seeing Jamie’s expression. “It really does worry you, doesn’t it?” Jamie shrugged. “I don’t mind if you want to kiss me, Jamie. I thought you’d have realised that by now.”

“I’m not – I’m not _supposed_ to want to kiss ye, though.”

“Jamie, if we only did what we were supposed to, neither of us would be here now.” The Doctor cupped his face gently, tilting his chin up to look him in the eyes. “And it doesn’t matter whether other people think you’re supposed to want to kiss me or not. Do you want to?” Jamie nodded, and the Doctor stroked his thumb along his cheekbone. Jamie leant into the contact a little, and the Doctor smiled. If he could make the Doctor smile, he thought, then maybe what he had been taught did not matter after all. “Then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t, is there?”

“I suppose not.” Jamie sighed and reached up to take the Doctor by the wrist. “If I said I wanted tae kiss Ben – would ye tell me the same thing?”

“I’m not telling you this just because _I_ want to kiss _you_ , no,” the Doctor replied, chuckling. “Though I will admit that if you said that, I might be just the tiniest bit jealous.”

“Good thing I dinnae want to kiss him, then,” Jamie said, grinning. He felt as if some great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, one he had not even known he was carrying.

“Let’s get you back home,” the Doctor said, releasing his hand and wrapping his arm around Jamie’s shoulders instead. “And then we can talk about all this properly, hmm?” He leant in close, as if he were about to tell Jamie an important secret. “I might even kiss you again, you know.”

Jamie’s smile widened at that, and he kissed the Doctor a little tentatively. “Not if I kiss ye first.”


End file.
